Aug 15, 2008
FRIDAY PHOTO FUNNIES!
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
Again, foto funnies are posted as a historical analysis of the changing face of humor in our country of the last 25 or so years. They do not present the viewpoint or opinion of the blog owner. Often they are wildly politically incorrect and offensive - if you are offended by the material in a foto funny, you either need to develop a sense of humor or surf elsewhere.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
Again, foto funnies are posted as a historical analysis of the changing face of humor in our country of the last 25 or so years. They do not present the viewpoint or opinion of the blog owner. Often they are wildly politically incorrect and offensive - if you are offended by the material in a foto funny, you either need to develop a sense of humor or surf elsewhere.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Aug 14, 2008
The last train out...
Riding the train, especially one of the last trains of the night out of Grand Central is a singularly unique experience... And not in a good way.
If riding the train can sometimes be obnoxious, the late night trains elevate all those bad qualities to a whole new level.
Right now I'm on the train after a long, long day. The train is a short one with only four cars open. What this means is there's no such thing as a quiet car. Every car is full, not to brimming but crowded.
Diagonally opposite me, a woman wearing flip flops with some tattoo on the side of her foot (writing I can't read) is trying her best to see if it's possible to get into the missionary position with her boyfriend in the narrow three seater they occupy.
It's a hard battle especially in her weight class but she's trying her best.
In front of them the drunks are having a convention. They are dazzling the rest of the car with lurid tales of fellatio in classrooms with 9th grade teachers. The volume of their voices only manages to increase with each additional stop.
If I said this is fun, you'd know I'm being sarcastic.
Me, I've got the headphones in for my new phone even though I am trying unsuccessfully to drown out the dull roar.
I guess though on the plus side, I'm able to write about it as it happens. I don't think anyone who is loud or wasted is over the age of 25.
I'm a bit amazed at the total lack of self-control and then I think back and wonder if I exhibited the same stupidity. The other thing that amazes me is how the conducters are so totally removed from it all. It's like I'm babysitting someone else's kids.
Riding the train, especially one of the last trains of the night out of Grand Central is a singularly unique experience... And not in a good way.
If riding the train can sometimes be obnoxious, the late night trains elevate all those bad qualities to a whole new level.
Right now I'm on the train after a long, long day. The train is a short one with only four cars open. What this means is there's no such thing as a quiet car. Every car is full, not to brimming but crowded.
Diagonally opposite me, a woman wearing flip flops with some tattoo on the side of her foot (writing I can't read) is trying her best to see if it's possible to get into the missionary position with her boyfriend in the narrow three seater they occupy.
It's a hard battle especially in her weight class but she's trying her best.
In front of them the drunks are having a convention. They are dazzling the rest of the car with lurid tales of fellatio in classrooms with 9th grade teachers. The volume of their voices only manages to increase with each additional stop.
If I said this is fun, you'd know I'm being sarcastic.
Me, I've got the headphones in for my new phone even though I am trying unsuccessfully to drown out the dull roar.
I guess though on the plus side, I'm able to write about it as it happens. I don't think anyone who is loud or wasted is over the age of 25.
I'm a bit amazed at the total lack of self-control and then I think back and wonder if I exhibited the same stupidity. The other thing that amazes me is how the conducters are so totally removed from it all. It's like I'm babysitting someone else's kids.
Aug 9, 2008
Didn’t see that one coming!
Read this today and was just shocked by it!
“Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital,” his publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement from Los Angeles.
Read this today and was just shocked by it!
“Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital,” his publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement from Los Angeles.
Quiet around here.
You may or may not have noticed a dearth of post of late. There are a couple of reasons for the lack of activity.
First off, it’s summer and a few weeks back I decided I spend entirely too much time on the computer when I’m not working. It’s wasted time too! Time spent aimlessly wandering around the web not accomplishing much. So, one of my goals is to cut back on the actual amount of time I am on the computer and not getting paid for it.
Second, one of the big reasons I am drawn to the computer repeatedly throughout the day is to check the various email accounts I have. Well after resisting as long as I was able, I finally broke down and upgraded my phone. The nice thing is I got this:
and it means I don’t have to go on the computer to check or respond to email anymore! It works out to being a great solution to not being online!
Third, all of a sudden I am literally deluged with work. It’s like the damn opened. It will be quiet for a bit of time and then all of a sudden I’m having several clients call me at once! Of course, when I am slow, I have absolutely no shame sending emails around fishing for work but, it seems like the fish are biting - if only for this week and next.
I had gotten to thinking about it the other day and I realized being a freelancer is like being a waterfront whore. When the fleet is out you are desperate and can barely find two nickels to rub together but, then when the fleet is in you can’t say no to whomever wants to f**k you because the memory of lean times are still very fresh. Feast or famine, after all these years I have yet to figure it out!
You may or may not have noticed a dearth of post of late. There are a couple of reasons for the lack of activity.
First off, it’s summer and a few weeks back I decided I spend entirely too much time on the computer when I’m not working. It’s wasted time too! Time spent aimlessly wandering around the web not accomplishing much. So, one of my goals is to cut back on the actual amount of time I am on the computer and not getting paid for it.
Second, one of the big reasons I am drawn to the computer repeatedly throughout the day is to check the various email accounts I have. Well after resisting as long as I was able, I finally broke down and upgraded my phone. The nice thing is I got this:
and it means I don’t have to go on the computer to check or respond to email anymore! It works out to being a great solution to not being online!
Third, all of a sudden I am literally deluged with work. It’s like the damn opened. It will be quiet for a bit of time and then all of a sudden I’m having several clients call me at once! Of course, when I am slow, I have absolutely no shame sending emails around fishing for work but, it seems like the fish are biting - if only for this week and next.
I had gotten to thinking about it the other day and I realized being a freelancer is like being a waterfront whore. When the fleet is out you are desperate and can barely find two nickels to rub together but, then when the fleet is in you can’t say no to whomever wants to f**k you because the memory of lean times are still very fresh. Feast or famine, after all these years I have yet to figure it out!
Aug 8, 2008
FRIDAY PHOTO FUNNIES!
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
Again, foto funnies are posted as a historical analysis of the changing face of humor in our country of the last 25 or so years. They do not present the viewpoint or opinion of the blog owner. Often they are wildly politically incorrect and offensive - if you are offended by the material in a foto funny, you either need to develop a sense of humor or surf elsewhere.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
Again, foto funnies are posted as a historical analysis of the changing face of humor in our country of the last 25 or so years. They do not present the viewpoint or opinion of the blog owner. Often they are wildly politically incorrect and offensive - if you are offended by the material in a foto funny, you either need to develop a sense of humor or surf elsewhere.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Aug 2, 2008
Simple design.
I finished a project a few weeks back. I was pleased with the way it came out and last week met a few friends in the park to chat so, I bought the comps along.
Usually, I won’t bring work around with me to show people. It just strikes me as tacky but, I should really let it bother me less because self-promotion is what it’s all about in the end.
In this case, I knew at some point during the course of the conversation what I had been working on lately would most likely come up and it seemed to make more sense to bring the comps along rather than to go into some detailed explanation.
So, I broke them out when we got to that point in the conversation and my compatriots seemed to be suitably impressed. I know the piece looks good so, even if I get a crit on something I’m not overly concerned. One comment stuck with me though and that was about the overall piece having a ‘simple design.’
I got to think back on that sometime later...
It was probably one of the biggest compliments I’ve ever gotten although I don’t know if the person meant it that way.
The piece was all me. I wrote the cover blurb for it, did all the research required for the background information on the packaging and the disc labels themselves, went through hours of footage to pull screen caps to use on the cover. If it looks simple at the end, it’s the result of a lot of effort put into it.
Over the years I’ve been lucky.
I’ve been lucky in the sense that I have had the opportunity to work with some really, really talented people - designers. Designers with great sensibilities, good eyes for color and balance, people who have gone on to win awards for their work (some projects that I was myself involved in). These people are true pros.
When you look at the end result of their work, it seems so effortless, so natural but the reality is it isn’t.
Today, because certain tools are so readily accessible, people think the use of them makes for a good design but it doesn’t. Instead, more often than not the availability of effects like drop shadows on text, embossing text or a whole host of photoshop filters only adds to the clutter of something. It obscures conveying a message or a meaning of a piece. Same thing is true on the Internet as well, just because we have Flash doesn’t mean every site needs to be animated. Design is about clear, simple communication. If you took these prevailing sensibilities and applied them to architecture you would readily understand the point I’m trying to make.
We would wind up with the most garish and unlivable structures surrounding us.
So, hearing that something has a simple design is a good thing.
Sure, it doesn’t take into account many hours spent looking for just the right image, retouching, color correcting, finding balance across shots, balance in the overall piece. However, it means I’m progressing because years ago I’d be making the same mistakes (drop shadows and the like) in my own work.
I finished a project a few weeks back. I was pleased with the way it came out and last week met a few friends in the park to chat so, I bought the comps along.
Usually, I won’t bring work around with me to show people. It just strikes me as tacky but, I should really let it bother me less because self-promotion is what it’s all about in the end.
In this case, I knew at some point during the course of the conversation what I had been working on lately would most likely come up and it seemed to make more sense to bring the comps along rather than to go into some detailed explanation.
So, I broke them out when we got to that point in the conversation and my compatriots seemed to be suitably impressed. I know the piece looks good so, even if I get a crit on something I’m not overly concerned. One comment stuck with me though and that was about the overall piece having a ‘simple design.’
I got to think back on that sometime later...
It was probably one of the biggest compliments I’ve ever gotten although I don’t know if the person meant it that way.
The piece was all me. I wrote the cover blurb for it, did all the research required for the background information on the packaging and the disc labels themselves, went through hours of footage to pull screen caps to use on the cover. If it looks simple at the end, it’s the result of a lot of effort put into it.
Over the years I’ve been lucky.
I’ve been lucky in the sense that I have had the opportunity to work with some really, really talented people - designers. Designers with great sensibilities, good eyes for color and balance, people who have gone on to win awards for their work (some projects that I was myself involved in). These people are true pros.
When you look at the end result of their work, it seems so effortless, so natural but the reality is it isn’t.
Today, because certain tools are so readily accessible, people think the use of them makes for a good design but it doesn’t. Instead, more often than not the availability of effects like drop shadows on text, embossing text or a whole host of photoshop filters only adds to the clutter of something. It obscures conveying a message or a meaning of a piece. Same thing is true on the Internet as well, just because we have Flash doesn’t mean every site needs to be animated. Design is about clear, simple communication. If you took these prevailing sensibilities and applied them to architecture you would readily understand the point I’m trying to make.
We would wind up with the most garish and unlivable structures surrounding us.
So, hearing that something has a simple design is a good thing.
Sure, it doesn’t take into account many hours spent looking for just the right image, retouching, color correcting, finding balance across shots, balance in the overall piece. However, it means I’m progressing because years ago I’d be making the same mistakes (drop shadows and the like) in my own work.
My very own Missile Command.
I have one of those cluster maps in the sidebar that logs the geographic location of visitors to the blog and every time I look at it all I can thing of is the old arcade game Missile Command.
I have one of those cluster maps in the sidebar that logs the geographic location of visitors to the blog and every time I look at it all I can thing of is the old arcade game Missile Command.
Missile Command is a 1980 arcade game by Atari Inc. that was also licensed to Sega for European release. The plot of Missile Command is simple: the player’s six cities are being attacked by an endless hail of ballistic missiles, some of them even splitting like multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), and in later levels smart bombs which can evade a less than perfectly targeted missile. As a regional commander of three anti-missile batteries, the player must defend six cities in their zone from being destroyed.
Aug 1, 2008
FRIDAY PHOTO FUNNIES!
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
Again, foto funnies are posted as a historical analysis of the changing face of humor in our country of the last 25 or so years. They do not present the viewpoint or opinion of the blog owner. Often they are wildly politically incorrect and offensive - if you are offended by the material in a foto funny, you either need to develop a sense of humor or surf elsewhere.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
Again, foto funnies are posted as a historical analysis of the changing face of humor in our country of the last 25 or so years. They do not present the viewpoint or opinion of the blog owner. Often they are wildly politically incorrect and offensive - if you are offended by the material in a foto funny, you either need to develop a sense of humor or surf elsewhere.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Jul 31, 2008
VIDEO VAULT THURSDAY!
(because exclamation points make all the difference)
Today we are taking a step into the WayBack machine and going way, way back to that ancient period almost three decades ago!
The year is 1979!
Nickelodeon launches, Jimmy Carter is president, the Ayatollah returns to Iran, Margaret Thatcher becomes prime minister, Morning Edition begins on NPR and the Soviets invade Afghanistan.
There isn’t even an MTV!
However, the nascent beginnings of the music video revolution are beginning to take root and early music videos are being broadcast. This week’s video is one of them!
This actually was a favorite of mine at the time and I still have the single (in the jacket pictured below)!
(because exclamation points make all the difference)
Today we are taking a step into the WayBack machine and going way, way back to that ancient period almost three decades ago!
The year is 1979!
Nickelodeon launches, Jimmy Carter is president, the Ayatollah returns to Iran, Margaret Thatcher becomes prime minister, Morning Edition begins on NPR and the Soviets invade Afghanistan.
There isn’t even an MTV!
However, the nascent beginnings of the music video revolution are beginning to take root and early music videos are being broadcast. This week’s video is one of them!
This actually was a favorite of mine at the time and I still have the single (in the jacket pictured below)!
The single was bolstered by a promotional video that was well received in its day; the clip featured Scott as a DJ singing into a microphone from behind an exaggerated turntable setup, at times flanked by two women who sang and danced in a robotic manner. One of the sight gags in the video depicted a rather plain-looking woman actually recording the backup vocals, which are then mimed by the female models, something that seems to foreshadow a number of incidents that occurred much later in the music industry with groups such as Milli Vanilli, C&C Music Factory, and Black Box.
Jul 30, 2008
Four color musings.
The ugly truth is, I kicked the habit and joined the unhooked generation.
What it means is 7 months into 2008, I’ve stuck to one of my New Year’s resolutions. The resolution to kick the weekly comic book fix. Funny thing is, today, comics are more a part of the mainstream than probably any time since the forties or the mid sixties.
The big difference?
When I first started buying comics, their cover price was 10¢. While, I’m sounding like one of those guys I used to hear growing up... ‘Back when I was a kid blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,’ today a comic book starts at a cover price of $2.99 and climbs from there. When I was six or thereabouts, had a dollar gave me the incredible booty of 10 comics - the same haul today would set me back almost $30.00. It’s a big change!
In addition, I’m finding even though a lot of good material is out there, I find myself less attached to old favorites as time goes on.
Maybe the events in comics are a reflection of what happens in our world at large. I know the world is a smaller place than it was when I was a kid but, I don’t think of it being a darker place. Somehow though, comics have become much, much darker than they were when I was a youngster.
I was going to put the blame at the feet of this generation of writers but, I can’t say that is entirely the case. Some writers in the field ‘get it’ and manage to tell a story without going for the lowest common denominator for dramatic effect. Unfortunately, those scribes number among a select few and the remainder are pretenders at best. Maybe that’s because this generation grew up reading comics and little else and it shows.
Looking back, there was a time when comics were about science, math or exploration. Nowadays, they seem to be more about violence alone. I can’t say that it’s a good thing either. Comics have taken on characteristics I just don’t find appealing.
Back on Free Comic Book Day I started to write a post:
The industry wide event that I used to spread word about doesn’t even garner the slightest bit of excitement for me. While it brings to mind the quote from Paul of Tarsus there is something more than that to it. I never considered Comics childish but something in them has become banal (for lack of a better word).
I even went to this year’s NY Comicon and started writing about that too:
The ugly truth is, I kicked the habit and joined the unhooked generation.
What it means is 7 months into 2008, I’ve stuck to one of my New Year’s resolutions. The resolution to kick the weekly comic book fix. Funny thing is, today, comics are more a part of the mainstream than probably any time since the forties or the mid sixties.
The big difference?
When I first started buying comics, their cover price was 10¢. While, I’m sounding like one of those guys I used to hear growing up... ‘Back when I was a kid blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,’ today a comic book starts at a cover price of $2.99 and climbs from there. When I was six or thereabouts, had a dollar gave me the incredible booty of 10 comics - the same haul today would set me back almost $30.00. It’s a big change!
In addition, I’m finding even though a lot of good material is out there, I find myself less attached to old favorites as time goes on.
Maybe the events in comics are a reflection of what happens in our world at large. I know the world is a smaller place than it was when I was a kid but, I don’t think of it being a darker place. Somehow though, comics have become much, much darker than they were when I was a youngster.
I was going to put the blame at the feet of this generation of writers but, I can’t say that is entirely the case. Some writers in the field ‘get it’ and manage to tell a story without going for the lowest common denominator for dramatic effect. Unfortunately, those scribes number among a select few and the remainder are pretenders at best. Maybe that’s because this generation grew up reading comics and little else and it shows.
Looking back, there was a time when comics were about science, math or exploration. Nowadays, they seem to be more about violence alone. I can’t say that it’s a good thing either. Comics have taken on characteristics I just don’t find appealing.
Back on Free Comic Book Day I started to write a post:
I might’ve posted this image once before, I can’t really tell if I did or not and I’m not going to spend the time going back to look....and I just petered out because when Free Comic Book Day rolled around even that was no longer enough to get me to set foot in the local store and that’s a bad thing.
Anyway, I scanned this in awhile back because sometimes over on the StatueForum sculptors will ask for reference images of characters they are planning to sculpt. Randy Bowen was getting ready to do an Ultron statue.
The industry wide event that I used to spread word about doesn’t even garner the slightest bit of excitement for me. While it brings to mind the quote from Paul of Tarsus there is something more than that to it. I never considered Comics childish but something in them has become banal (for lack of a better word).
I even went to this year’s NY Comicon and started writing about that too:
The Comicon wrap-up.Comics are so very insular in some ways as an industry and also as an art form. The convention was a big reminder of that for me and while I continue to want to write something in the field, I no longer have the need or compulsion to read stuff the way I once did. Nobody is more surprised than I am by that development.
Rather than make life sound like all gloom and doom, I should say aside from the stuff with the cat I had a really terrific weekend at NYCC a few weeks back, something I needed desperately.
I managed to spend a little bit of time at the NY Comicon on both Saturday and Sunday. Sat in on a few panels. Saw and met bunches of people.
Got a chance to thank Erik Larsen in person for the wonderful columns he’s written of late up on CBR, especially the one about taking the time out to appreciate people while you can.
Finally met Steve Rude in person! After years of communicating with him and the ever-gracious Gino via email. All I came away thinking was how the phrase gentle giant really applies to the man. What was also kind of funny was watching him get as much fanboy as anyone else over Joe Sinnott who was part of a panel Steve and I had attended.
I had a long chat with Kevin McGuire and got pointed over to the great comedic films he has been working on. I will never forget the moment when one anxious fan came up to him during the course of our conversation and said to him, ‘I never got a chance to see your stuff when you were big!’ Sideways compliment to say the least handled with grace by the aforementioned Mr. McGuire.
I finally got a chance to see Keith Williams! I think it was the first time in almost 20 years! Keith is someone who worked the stacks at Barnes and Noble many, many years ago. Funny thing is he was working almost side by side with later DC editor Joey Cavalieri.
Met and had a good long chat with Bob Almond
Finally met Dave Simons who I had heard a lot about.
It was fun but...
I have to say I can see where these things are well into the point of getting played out. New York Comicon is a good thing for the industry without a doubt but, the thing I was reminded of was how just by no longer indulging in that weekly fix since January I had grown entirely disconnected from the world of comics. It happened that fast.
You would think it would take a lot longer but, it didn’t.
I just didn’t have the excitement within me about the latest news regarding character Z.
The pros I chatted with are entirely another matter.
In large part because my view of them is dramatically different than it once was. These are guys who struggle to get by. Not a few of them either. Taking a walk down Artist’s Alley is a reminder of just how tough a business comics really is.
The odd thing is that while it’s good for the pros to get that kind of feedback, it leads to odd moments on the part of both pro and fan alike.
Jul 28, 2008
Cherry really is da bomb!
I have a whole interesting slew of links along the sidebar there. Those blogs I read on a regular basis. I updated the links a little bit of time back and I was surprised to see I dropped a blog without realizing it, maybe a subconscious move on my part stemming from irritation towards the blog’s owner.
I wish some of the people I’ve linked to would reciprocate and link here as well but, it doesn’t seem right to directly ask them to do so. It‘s an amazing dislpay of humility on my part considering all the other ways I can be brazen about promotion.
One of the few people who does link back to me is Cherry Bomb. Cherry is someone whose blog I have read over the years and through her blog I have found a bunch of other blogs I read regularly. She is a burlesque dancer and a good writer too. Recently, she wrote something and gave a reading of it at RKB’s In The Flesh series. She posted the text only to later take it down due either to second thoughts or backlash over what she had written.
It’s a boldly personal piece she wrote though and I found a link to the reading she gave of it. She was wonderful! Take a look for yourself:
I have a whole interesting slew of links along the sidebar there. Those blogs I read on a regular basis. I updated the links a little bit of time back and I was surprised to see I dropped a blog without realizing it, maybe a subconscious move on my part stemming from irritation towards the blog’s owner.
I wish some of the people I’ve linked to would reciprocate and link here as well but, it doesn’t seem right to directly ask them to do so. It‘s an amazing dislpay of humility on my part considering all the other ways I can be brazen about promotion.
One of the few people who does link back to me is Cherry Bomb. Cherry is someone whose blog I have read over the years and through her blog I have found a bunch of other blogs I read regularly. She is a burlesque dancer and a good writer too. Recently, she wrote something and gave a reading of it at RKB’s In The Flesh series. She posted the text only to later take it down due either to second thoughts or backlash over what she had written.
It’s a boldly personal piece she wrote though and I found a link to the reading she gave of it. She was wonderful! Take a look for yourself:
Jul 27, 2008
Perfect for a hot summer day.
I wrote this way back in December and never got around to posting it. After the heat wave we had last week and considering it was nice and toasty warm yesterday it seems only fitting to run it now if only to break the heat:
* note to self - time to get started on the Christmas cards!
I wrote this way back in December and never got around to posting it. After the heat wave we had last week and considering it was nice and toasty warm yesterday it seems only fitting to run it now if only to break the heat:
I hate snow.And that was December... coming up on the anniversary of the departure of the EYOC and leading into a January that was unsettling health wise for me and the beginning of a long downward spiral for kitty. I still hate the cold and even though it is warm I can remain holed up in the Fortress of Solitude but, the one thing I would be less inclined to do in cold weather is to take long scooter rides and there is no denying the joy that those rides bring!
I know there are a lot of people who just love it when the world gets draped in white. There is something clean I imagine about a landscape garnished with snow. Nights are brighter when there is a coating of snow on the ground. Even acknowledging these benefits though, I still find I hate the cold weather and the form of precipitation takes at the turn of the year.
I didn’t go out of the house today.
Now, that’s not all that unusual because I can easily hole up in the house for a prolonged period of time. I’m one of those people that is perfectly content and who can find innumerable ways to amuse myself alone.
The only thing is the cold weather makes it all the more likely for me to hole up if only not to expose myself to the cold. I just don’t like cold. Hot is okay but, cold can be unbearable at times.
It snowed this week on Thursday and I dutifully went out and spent the several hours shoveling the driveway to make everything nice and clear - when it’s warmer and it rains, shoveling is never a concern. The end result of my efforts was a tidy pile of snow about 7 feet high and 10 feet wide at the base. A snow tepee if you will.
Today when it snowed and then sleeted and then rained, while my neighbors were out attacking the build up I stayed ensconced in my fortress of solitude and made a big cauldron of beef stew. I’ve been meaning to cook up a bunch of food for a while now. January food, food that will be consumed in the New Year. The storm just gave me an excuse to focus my efforts in the kitchen. I still have to make up a whole batch of Chicken Sorrentino (something that may happen in the wee hours of the morning today).
I spend hours prepping and making up big batches of food and then freezing it in individual portions for later consumption. The stew came out good.
There’s still a whole bunch of holiday stuff to take care of too. Shopping, cards, things like that but I find myself not entirely motivated to get it done.
* note to self - time to get started on the Christmas cards!
Jul 26, 2008
A great meme.
I came across this great meme on Jamelah’s blog a little while ago and couldn’t resist it:
I came across this great meme on Jamelah’s blog a little while ago and couldn’t resist it:
- Put your mp3 player or music player on your computer on random.
- Post the first four lines from the first 20 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song (Skip repeat artists).
- Post and let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from.
- When I met you I should’ve been warned
Ooh I could see you change from day to day
But you kept me guessing
Playing for fun - Ahhhh...
The Lord is a monkey
Thanksgiving’s coming on the Fourth of July
In the form of a girl with a needle in her eye - Everything is catching
Yes, everything is catching on fire
(Everything’s catching on fire)
Everything is catching on fire (everything’s catching on fire) - Stuck inside these four walls
Sent inside forever
Never seeing no one nice again like you
Mama you, mama you - Summertime and the livin’s easy,
and bradley’s on the microphone with ras m.g.
All the people in the dance will agree
that we’re well qualified - Lyin’, cheatin’, hurtin’, that’s all you seem to do
Messin’ around, every guy in town
Puttin’ me down for thinkin’ of someone new
Always the same, playin’ your game - You’re always dancing down the street
With your suede blue eyes
And every new boy that you meet
He doesn’t know the real surprise - We got somethin’, we both know it, we don’t talk too much about it
Ain't no real big secret, all the same, somehow we get around it
Listen, it don’t really matter to me baby
You believe what you want to believe, you see - People keep on learnin’
Soldiers keep on warrin’
World keep on turnin’
Cause it won't be too long - Hey Joe, where you goin’ with that gun in your hand
Hey Joe, I said where you goin’ with that gun in your hand
I'm goin’ down to shoot my ol’ lady
You know I caught her messin’ ‘round with another man - You know if you break my heart I’ll go, but I’ll be back
Again, ’cause I told you once before goodbye, but I came back again.
I love you so oh I’m the one who wants you, yes, I'm the one
Who wants you, oh ho, oh ho, oh - I saw a man get the beat down
Took his money and his wallet left him dead on the ground
I saw them gather celebrate the crime
Teaching us the laughter another lesson of mankind - Deep in the back of my mind is an unrealized sound
Every feeling I get from the street says it soon could be found
When I hear the cold lies of the pusher, I know it exists
It’s confirmed in the eyes of the kids, emphasized with their fist - Move aside,
and let the man go through.
Let the man go through.
Move aside, - We’re in the basement, learning to print
All of it’s hot!
10-20-30 million ready to be spent
We’re stackin’ ’em against the wall - Funny how secrets travel
I’d start to believe if I were to bleed
Thin skies, the man chains his hands held high
Cruise me blond - The city streets are empty now THE LIGHTS DON’T SHINE NO MORE
and so the songs are way down low TURNING TURNING TURNING
A sound that flows into my mind THE ECHOES OF THE DAYLIGHT
of everything that is alive IN MY BLUE WORLD - I saw you standing on the corner, you looked so big and fine.
I really wanted to go out with you, so when you smiled - I laid my heart on the line.
You read me my rights and then you said “Let’s go” and nothing more.
I thought of my nights, and how they were. - When will we get the time to be just friends
It’s never safe for us not even in the evening
’cos I've been drinking
Not in the morning where your shit works - Hey God, why are you doing this to me?
Am I not living up to what I'm supposed to be?
Why am I seething with this animosity?
Hey God, I think you owe me a great big apology
Posting roulette.
Blogger has this neat feature now in that you can write a post and schedule when it will wind up being published.
I love this!
Some of the things I write about aren’t really topical at all and this gives me the ability to get something written when the mood strikes me and to keep a steady stream of content as well.
As it stands, I’ve started writing some things for way, way out. The reason I call if posting roulette is because some of those things have the capacity to set off bombs. In particular, I have been enormously restrained in writing about a particular topic. Without going into specifics, there is a person I long ago decided to no longer have contact with but, it hasn’t stopped them from nosing about. So, I have my own version of a ticking timebomb just waiting for them... think along the lines of ‘set it and forget it.’
Blogger has this neat feature now in that you can write a post and schedule when it will wind up being published.
I love this!
Some of the things I write about aren’t really topical at all and this gives me the ability to get something written when the mood strikes me and to keep a steady stream of content as well.
As it stands, I’ve started writing some things for way, way out. The reason I call if posting roulette is because some of those things have the capacity to set off bombs. In particular, I have been enormously restrained in writing about a particular topic. Without going into specifics, there is a person I long ago decided to no longer have contact with but, it hasn’t stopped them from nosing about. So, I have my own version of a ticking timebomb just waiting for them... think along the lines of ‘set it and forget it.’
Jul 25, 2008
FRIDAY PHOTO FUNNIES!
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
Again, foto funnies are posted as a historical analysis of the changing face of humor in our country of the last 25 or so years. They do not present the viewpoint or opinion of the blog owner. Often they are wildly politically incorrect and offensive - if you are offended by the material in a foto funny, you either need to develop a sense of humor or surf elsewhere.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
Again, foto funnies are posted as a historical analysis of the changing face of humor in our country of the last 25 or so years. They do not present the viewpoint or opinion of the blog owner. Often they are wildly politically incorrect and offensive - if you are offended by the material in a foto funny, you either need to develop a sense of humor or surf elsewhere.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Jul 24, 2008
VIDEO VAULT THURSDAY!
(because exclamation points make all the difference)
Whenever I think back to the 90’s, I think about all the great music that was created around that time. Over the course of my lifetime, the 60’s are well remembered even if I was a kid at the time, the 70’s were the era where I came of age but the 80’s were like a desert for the most part where music was concerned. Sure there was the occasional oasis, a bright spot of an album, band or song that I liked but for the most part it was a long, arid decade.
Right at the end of the decade though, grunge started to come to prominence and a flood of wonderful new music seemed to issue forth from all corners of the globe.
This week’s video is from 1992 and to me is emblematic of the period.
The video dovetails into the mood of the song and does a good job of speaking to the issue of alienation.
(because exclamation points make all the difference)
Whenever I think back to the 90’s, I think about all the great music that was created around that time. Over the course of my lifetime, the 60’s are well remembered even if I was a kid at the time, the 70’s were the era where I came of age but the 80’s were like a desert for the most part where music was concerned. Sure there was the occasional oasis, a bright spot of an album, band or song that I liked but for the most part it was a long, arid decade.
Right at the end of the decade though, grunge started to come to prominence and a flood of wonderful new music seemed to issue forth from all corners of the globe.
This week’s video is from 1992 and to me is emblematic of the period.
The video dovetails into the mood of the song and does a good job of speaking to the issue of alienation.
The video, directed by Samuel Bayer, stars Heather DeLoach as the “Bee Girl” — a young tap dancer wearing a homemade bee costume and large glasses, modeled after the Blind Melon album’s cover: a family picture of Georgia Graham, younger sister of drummer Glen Graham. The Bee Girl’s story is interspersed with footage of Blind Melon performing in a field against a clear blue sky.
It opens on the girl’s tap routine; the audience responds with laughter, and the girl runs off stage in tears. As the song plays, she wanders through a city, stopping to perform her dance for whoever will watch. Ultimately — at the point in the song where the word “escape” is repeated — she peeks through a gate, astonished, then runs through it to join a group of “bee people” of all shapes and sizes dancing joyfully in a green field.
As a result of the video, DeLoach appeared on the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards, and reprised her Bee Girl dance (in full costume) in the video for “Weird Al” Yankovic’s song “Bedrock Anthem.”
VH1 ranked the “No Rain” video 83nd on its “100 Greatest Videos of All Time” list; the song was also No. 99 on the channel’s “100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders” list.
Jul 23, 2008
The sh**ty artist.
A bunch of days back, in my unending quest to rid myself of as much clutter as I can to live a life that is free from the burden of items I don’t need, I came across a sketch book from, must be from about, 26 years ago. I thumbed through it just to see what was in it. Threw out most of it but saved and scanned the ten items in this post.
26 years is a long time, I can hardly believe so much time has passed. Looking at these drawings though, reminded me of what was going on in my life at the time, the things that were important to me and the people around me.
I went to college and studied Illustration. That is to say, in my abortive college career I went to a lot of classes that involved me drawing. I like drawing. Drawing was something I always had fun with and even today as I read the paper or when I’m at work, I’ll be sketching something in the margins.
I always considered myself to have some ability, better than most but certainly not as good as others. I’ve seen people who have devoted their lifetimes to art and am both amazed and envious of their abilities at times. If you look through the sidebar, you’ll see Vinnie’s blog, Vinnie really has f%#$ing chops, he draws in a bunch of different mediums and styles. Gerry Acerno whose stuff I put up from time to time can really draw too, his work harkens back to a golden age of comics. I respect and admire them because they have given themselves over to that lifelong avocation.
Whenever an artist is asked about the process, it’s a difficult to describe to someone who doesn’t create art but, talk to a fellow artist and they will all agree about how, in many instances, what is put down on paper is the realization of the image an artist sees in his mind first. It’s very hard work.
I was never entirely happy with the results I got. I got better over time but, I still didn’t approach the kind of results or expectations I had for myself. The good thing is I long ago reconciled with that, I don’t suffer sleepless nights over it so when I got the following comment some time back: you'll ALWAYS be a SHITTY ARTIST.... now you're just a MIDDLE of the road production artist who CAN"T draw... I laughed.
See, I embraced that a long. long time ago. I can live with the ability I have, get my enjoyment from the things I do. At least unlike my anonymous commenter, I’m not a hack.
A bunch of days back, in my unending quest to rid myself of as much clutter as I can to live a life that is free from the burden of items I don’t need, I came across a sketch book from, must be from about, 26 years ago. I thumbed through it just to see what was in it. Threw out most of it but saved and scanned the ten items in this post.
26 years is a long time, I can hardly believe so much time has passed. Looking at these drawings though, reminded me of what was going on in my life at the time, the things that were important to me and the people around me.
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |
I went to college and studied Illustration. That is to say, in my abortive college career I went to a lot of classes that involved me drawing. I like drawing. Drawing was something I always had fun with and even today as I read the paper or when I’m at work, I’ll be sketching something in the margins.
I always considered myself to have some ability, better than most but certainly not as good as others. I’ve seen people who have devoted their lifetimes to art and am both amazed and envious of their abilities at times. If you look through the sidebar, you’ll see Vinnie’s blog, Vinnie really has f%#$ing chops, he draws in a bunch of different mediums and styles. Gerry Acerno whose stuff I put up from time to time can really draw too, his work harkens back to a golden age of comics. I respect and admire them because they have given themselves over to that lifelong avocation.
Whenever an artist is asked about the process, it’s a difficult to describe to someone who doesn’t create art but, talk to a fellow artist and they will all agree about how, in many instances, what is put down on paper is the realization of the image an artist sees in his mind first. It’s very hard work.
I was never entirely happy with the results I got. I got better over time but, I still didn’t approach the kind of results or expectations I had for myself. The good thing is I long ago reconciled with that, I don’t suffer sleepless nights over it so when I got the following comment some time back: you'll ALWAYS be a SHITTY ARTIST.... now you're just a MIDDLE of the road production artist who CAN"T draw... I laughed.
See, I embraced that a long. long time ago. I can live with the ability I have, get my enjoyment from the things I do. At least unlike my anonymous commenter, I’m not a hack.
Does anyone even notice?!
I go through phases in life where the daily ritual changes. Some periods I’ll find myself listening to a lot of radio and then others where the thing isn’t on at all. The New York city public radio station is WNYC and depending on the time of day or just the way I’m living life it will be on in the background. Sometimes I find I really like it and other times it is just unlistenable because of reasons that escape me - usually this is between the hours of 10 and 2 although both the Brian Lehrer Show and the Leonard Lopate Show both can be very entertaining.
One unsettling thing I’ve noticed though and I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere else, is how WNYC uses Apple’s voice technology to do its between show and promotional announcements. No reason to hire a person and to go through the motion of repeated takes and verbal gaffes, just type it in and it’s ready to go!
It’s just a sign of the times and a cost saving measure for a station that relies heavily on accounting for every dollar but I still think it’s not a good thing for radio.
I go through phases in life where the daily ritual changes. Some periods I’ll find myself listening to a lot of radio and then others where the thing isn’t on at all. The New York city public radio station is WNYC and depending on the time of day or just the way I’m living life it will be on in the background. Sometimes I find I really like it and other times it is just unlistenable because of reasons that escape me - usually this is between the hours of 10 and 2 although both the Brian Lehrer Show and the Leonard Lopate Show both can be very entertaining.
One unsettling thing I’ve noticed though and I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere else, is how WNYC uses Apple’s voice technology to do its between show and promotional announcements. No reason to hire a person and to go through the motion of repeated takes and verbal gaffes, just type it in and it’s ready to go!
It’s just a sign of the times and a cost saving measure for a station that relies heavily on accounting for every dollar but I still think it’s not a good thing for radio.
Jul 22, 2008
TELEVISION TUESDAY.
So, what were people up to before they were famous? This week for Television Tuesday, we get the treat of seeing a short that Jay Leno made when he was still a vagabond comic, long before his stint as a guest host (and ultimately regular host) of the Tonight Show:
So, what were people up to before they were famous? This week for Television Tuesday, we get the treat of seeing a short that Jay Leno made when he was still a vagabond comic, long before his stint as a guest host (and ultimately regular host) of the Tonight Show:
The show was a mix of music videos (by both himself and others) mixed in with comedy sketches, commercial parodies, and general silliness. It was hosted by Nesmith himself, who also participated in many of the sketches. Television Parts also featured guest appearances by a number of comedians, including Martin Mull, Whoopi Goldberg, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Martin, The Funny Boys and Garry Shandling, whose appearance on the show was the seed for It's Garry Shandling’s Show. Michael Nesmith produced humorous skits, songs and commercial parodies in this video.
Jul 21, 2008
Hand wringing.
I don’t know who he is but on one level he’s my new hero: Dan McFan STRIKES!
It’s funny because all he did was post an image and suddenly a veritable sh*tstorm arose over nothing. I imagine it just illustrates once again there are people on the internet who will fight about anything. This had me laughing my ass off, just amazing how some people are so desperate to make something out of nothing.
I don’t know who he is but on one level he’s my new hero: Dan McFan STRIKES!
It’s funny because all he did was post an image and suddenly a veritable sh*tstorm arose over nothing. I imagine it just illustrates once again there are people on the internet who will fight about anything. This had me laughing my ass off, just amazing how some people are so desperate to make something out of nothing.
Here’s a good test for you.
I was writing a note to someone and I wanted to use an analogy that had me searching around the internet for the specific wording. I don’t even remember what the note was about now but, during the course of searching I came across this test. I scored 20 out of 20 (thankfully) but, I have to wonder how many people won’t do as well.
You’re an American?
A citizen of these United States?
Well, test your knowledge!
* I’m kind of curious how people do so post your scores in the comments section... IF YOU DARE!
I was writing a note to someone and I wanted to use an analogy that had me searching around the internet for the specific wording. I don’t even remember what the note was about now but, during the course of searching I came across this test. I scored 20 out of 20 (thankfully) but, I have to wonder how many people won’t do as well.
You’re an American?
A citizen of these United States?
Well, test your knowledge!
* I’m kind of curious how people do so post your scores in the comments section... IF YOU DARE!
Jul 20, 2008
I can’t wait.
New York baseball fans can be the most loyal fans in the world or they can be the most brutal. Believe me I’ve seen it time and time again, guys can be beloved or despised. Up until recently, for Mets fans at Shea stadium the one visiting player who was most likely to be designated for raucous booing was (Larry) Chipper Jones. However, after last week’s Home Run Hitting contest at the All Star game at Yankee stadium I believe there is a player who will usurp that special mantle from Atlanta’s third baseman. Here’s the reason why:
and knowing NY fans the way I do, I am sure they’ll come up with some very creative ways to get their message across!
New York baseball fans can be the most loyal fans in the world or they can be the most brutal. Believe me I’ve seen it time and time again, guys can be beloved or despised. Up until recently, for Mets fans at Shea stadium the one visiting player who was most likely to be designated for raucous booing was (Larry) Chipper Jones. However, after last week’s Home Run Hitting contest at the All Star game at Yankee stadium I believe there is a player who will usurp that special mantle from Atlanta’s third baseman. Here’s the reason why:
and knowing NY fans the way I do, I am sure they’ll come up with some very creative ways to get their message across!
Jul 19, 2008
Grammar junkies.
If you’re a grammar junkie like I am (and I am even though I cleave my way through the English language like a barbarian) you’ll enjoy the newly added blog in the sidebar. Over the coming weeks there will be some updating and modifying of the sidebar but, this blog is just “plain” fun.
I give you The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks.
If you’re a grammar junkie like I am (and I am even though I cleave my way through the English language like a barbarian) you’ll enjoy the newly added blog in the sidebar. Over the coming weeks there will be some updating and modifying of the sidebar but, this blog is just “plain” fun.
I give you The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks.
Why don’t we all just carry guns?
The other day I had posted about how RKB also known as the Lusty Lady had some fool bothering her. In the comments section of her blog I was really amazed that some people advocated shooting the guy. Not just shooting him but, killing him.
Roll that over in your head for a second.
Here‘s the rub... the people advocating shooting the guy would best be described as liberal:
Now, I posted a comment in the thread and two other people posted comments in the thread that didn’t once mention shooting someone but I love the fact that the people advocating shooting as a solution (and not just shooting but killing someone) were women. How f#%$ing ironic is that!
Projection of force? I like that phrase.
I’ve never been one to carry a gun and I have friends who do and have. Thing is, if you have a gun and you pull it out you kinda have to use it. If the person your dealing with also has a gun, well things can get very messy, very quickly and escalate to the point where people who are not involved in the slightest with what is happening, get hurt (these are usually called innocent bystanders or alternately collateral damage).
You might think I’m talking out of my a** on this one too but, I’ve had guns drawn on me twice (at least that I can remember). Once someone was trying to rob me and the other time by several over-zealous sheriffs on the West Coast.
The guy trying to rob me got squat and the cops were just a matter of cooperating but things could have been very different if I had a gun.
Also, while I can’t say I condone the miscreant’s behavior, what we’re talking about is akin to using an elephant gun instead of a fly swatter. Again, is it that f&$#ing hard to just say, ‘NO, I’M NOT INTERESTED!’ and then take things up level by level if and when they escalate?
I posted this here because I’ve gotten beyond the point where I’m inclined to have comment wars with people I consider idiots. The level of stupidity on the internet just amazes me sometimes though particularly when people who advocate the harshest response under one set of circumstances would pillory another if they followed that same course of action in a different set of circumstances.
Better still is the big, swinging dicks comment - penis envy? (LOL) People talk about projection of force and then totally fail to recognize that force is only effective when applied judiciously. Believe me, there’s tons of people in this world saying things I find offensive, hurtful, demeaning, the list goes on and on... but shooting them is not the answer.
The other day I had posted about how RKB also known as the Lusty Lady had some fool bothering her. In the comments section of her blog I was really amazed that some people advocated shooting the guy. Not just shooting him but, killing him.
Roll that over in your head for a second.
Here‘s the rub... the people advocating shooting the guy would best be described as liberal:
Trixie Fontaine said...
That is fuuuuuuuuuuucked. And if he has already contacted you three or more times since you told him not to, it might not be a bad idea to call the cops already.
Sex writing might be part of what's fueled his plan to stalk you, but just plain delusional thought is where it starts and there's no behavior of yours that can change the kind of rationale that thinks having simply seen your myspace page constitutes the forging of a real "friendship".
With movies, etc. continuing to teach people that certain behaviors are not stalking, it's endearing persistence that leads to marriage, having the cops warn him off might let him know he's not going to break down your resistance to what he thinks are his charms, but will lead to a restraining order and possible jail time.
jessica said...
that is some crazy shit - and good call trixie, on movies romanticizing this kind of behavior.
it's amazing what people think they can get away with when addressing and/or dealing with women who do what they want with their own sexuality. hateful comments, badgering comments, waaaaaay over-the-line comments...fuck this guy, and it took balls (ovaries?) for you to post about it instead of just letting it fester.
MeiLin Miranda said...
We deal with this at Casa de Miranda by being armed. Seriously.
I'm going for my concealed carry permit soon, and Sir already has one. I gots a 12-gauge shotgun named Zoe and a .22 rifle named Martha, and I'm getting a larger caliber Sig Sauer handgun to carry. Sir has his own .38 special named Wash.
Women are not as strong as men. Projection of force evens the odds, and I have zero qualms about shooting a stalker or anyone else who's trying to hurt me or my children.
We're not scary people; we have never drawn on anyone, we store our guns properly, and Sir is a better shot than most cops (I'm working on it). If we ever do draw it will be because we really think we need to shoot someone to save our lives. But we find that people just knowing we're armed cuts down on the bullshit dramatically.
Trixie Fontaine said...
I'm sure Rachel knows this/won't do these things, but contacting his employer and/or potentially putting him in danger by outing his personal information (which is also breaking the law) are pretty bad ideas. Because they're illegal. Because they're ineffectual, unfair things that could set him off and/or be perceived as justification for continuing the "relationship" he imagines, like it's just a bad breakup. Really doing things the legal way getting things documented herself, like she's doing, and with the cops then leading to a restraining order if necessary are the best ways to do it without opening herself up to litigation.
But yeah, being ready to shoot to kill is also an option I love. I can't imagine Rachel doing it, but yeah -- shoot to KILL so he can never testify against you in court. That's my motto.
Trixie Fontaine said...
After the big guys beat him up, she's still just as vulnerable of a target as a woman as she was before unless said big guys are walking around with her 24/7, only now the guy has an additional reason to really hate and resent her and try to feel big and strong and forcibly desirable (if that's the kind of guy he is).
As someone who said (among other things) "shoot to kill" (in response to something someone else said, I didn't bring it up initially) who is also a self-avowed liberal, I stand by it: if you're going to shoot someone who is trying to hurt you (I don't think anyone is saying she should go hunt him down right now and pop a cap in his ass at this point) it will just be much cleaner to end his ability to fuck with you at all, ever again.
I don't know why you would think beating the shit out of him NOW is an option worth championing to "send him a message" and is the liberal thing to do but that shooting him if he steps up his stalking and actually threatens her is not.
Reading the comments quickly, so maybe I missed something/misinterpreted things. . . I did say the shoot to kill thing off the cuff (and twice on accident, or maybe for the sheer pleasure of it).
Trixie Fontaine said...
Oh, my mistake. Your advice is to simply THREATEN him right now with bodily harm. Big swinging dicks instead of a concealed weapon.
Now, I posted a comment in the thread and two other people posted comments in the thread that didn’t once mention shooting someone but I love the fact that the people advocating shooting as a solution (and not just shooting but killing someone) were women. How f#%$ing ironic is that!
Projection of force? I like that phrase.
I’ve never been one to carry a gun and I have friends who do and have. Thing is, if you have a gun and you pull it out you kinda have to use it. If the person your dealing with also has a gun, well things can get very messy, very quickly and escalate to the point where people who are not involved in the slightest with what is happening, get hurt (these are usually called innocent bystanders or alternately collateral damage).
You might think I’m talking out of my a** on this one too but, I’ve had guns drawn on me twice (at least that I can remember). Once someone was trying to rob me and the other time by several over-zealous sheriffs on the West Coast.
The guy trying to rob me got squat and the cops were just a matter of cooperating but things could have been very different if I had a gun.
Also, while I can’t say I condone the miscreant’s behavior, what we’re talking about is akin to using an elephant gun instead of a fly swatter. Again, is it that f&$#ing hard to just say, ‘NO, I’M NOT INTERESTED!’ and then take things up level by level if and when they escalate?
I posted this here because I’ve gotten beyond the point where I’m inclined to have comment wars with people I consider idiots. The level of stupidity on the internet just amazes me sometimes though particularly when people who advocate the harshest response under one set of circumstances would pillory another if they followed that same course of action in a different set of circumstances.
Better still is the big, swinging dicks comment - penis envy? (LOL) People talk about projection of force and then totally fail to recognize that force is only effective when applied judiciously. Believe me, there’s tons of people in this world saying things I find offensive, hurtful, demeaning, the list goes on and on... but shooting them is not the answer.
You have to be pretty smart,
to be this stupid:
This is the cover to the July 21 issue of the New Yorker magazine. I don’t read the New Yorker regularly, as a matter of fact I can’t say I’ve ever bought an issue.
I always think of the New Yorker as targeted towards a very literate, highbrow and liberal audience. I just can’t say I fit that demographic. Not that there isn’t stuff in there for me to read, it’s just one of those things I never went out of my way to seek out.
Madame X used to subscribe to Harper’s (and Mother Jones) and I would read an article in those from time to time but again, not my thing (and before anyone gets too up in arms I realize Mother Jones is not in the same vein as Harper’s or New Yorker - the comparison was meant between the latter two magazines).
Over the coming days though, I have to imagine you’ll be hearing more about this cover.
Why?
Well, because even a moron like me realizes it is in horribly bad taste. The people at the New Yorker want people to believe that this was a commentary on satire, they even go as far as to show examples of the artist’s previous satirical work for the magazine. However, looking through the other images there is nothing remotely close to this in terms of bigotry... plus it is one of those things that will be used to reinforce a fallacy (Obama being a Muslim).
The same image if it had been the cover of a right-wing, conservative publication would have been pilloried for their lack of editorial scruples and rightfully so. Like I said, you have to be pretty smart to be this stupid, what were they thinking?
to be this stupid:
This is the cover to the July 21 issue of the New Yorker magazine. I don’t read the New Yorker regularly, as a matter of fact I can’t say I’ve ever bought an issue.
I always think of the New Yorker as targeted towards a very literate, highbrow and liberal audience. I just can’t say I fit that demographic. Not that there isn’t stuff in there for me to read, it’s just one of those things I never went out of my way to seek out.
Madame X used to subscribe to Harper’s (and Mother Jones) and I would read an article in those from time to time but again, not my thing (and before anyone gets too up in arms I realize Mother Jones is not in the same vein as Harper’s or New Yorker - the comparison was meant between the latter two magazines).
Over the coming days though, I have to imagine you’ll be hearing more about this cover.
Why?
Well, because even a moron like me realizes it is in horribly bad taste. The people at the New Yorker want people to believe that this was a commentary on satire, they even go as far as to show examples of the artist’s previous satirical work for the magazine. However, looking through the other images there is nothing remotely close to this in terms of bigotry... plus it is one of those things that will be used to reinforce a fallacy (Obama being a Muslim).
The same image if it had been the cover of a right-wing, conservative publication would have been pilloried for their lack of editorial scruples and rightfully so. Like I said, you have to be pretty smart to be this stupid, what were they thinking?
Jul 18, 2008
FRIDAY PHOTO FUNNIES!
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
Again, foto funnies are posted as a historical analysis of the changing face of humor in our country of the last 25 or so years. They do not present the viewpoint or opinion of the blog owner. Often they are wildly politically incorrect and offensive - if you are offended by the material in a foto funny, you either need to develop a sense of humor or surf elsewhere.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
Again, foto funnies are posted as a historical analysis of the changing face of humor in our country of the last 25 or so years. They do not present the viewpoint or opinion of the blog owner. Often they are wildly politically incorrect and offensive - if you are offended by the material in a foto funny, you either need to develop a sense of humor or surf elsewhere.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Jul 17, 2008
VIDEO VAULT THURSDAY!
(because exclamation points make all the difference)
AND THEY REALLY DO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE ALONG WITH WRITING A SENTENCE ALL IN UPPERCASE!
So, if you’re not looking at the videos posted each week in Video Vault Thursdays! The question is why not?!?!
This week, we are taking a trip back to 1993, how can it be that 1993 is fifteen years gone!? Where does the time go, all too fast as the days pass, I’ll say!
This is a video that stands out because of both the song and the imagery it is married to. While the song is a great piece of music, the video undoubtedly had a hand in popularizing it the song even further. It’s an instance where the whole is indeed greater than the sum of the parts. The director, Anton Corbijin is no small part of that feat:
(because exclamation points make all the difference)
AND THEY REALLY DO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE ALONG WITH WRITING A SENTENCE ALL IN UPPERCASE!
So, if you’re not looking at the videos posted each week in Video Vault Thursdays! The question is why not?!?!
This week, we are taking a trip back to 1993, how can it be that 1993 is fifteen years gone!? Where does the time go, all too fast as the days pass, I’ll say!
...the song was inspired by “Camille’s vaginal flower theory,” most likely referring to the American social critic Camille Paglia, of whom he was a fan. In Paglia’s 1990 book Sexual Personae, she explores the prevalence of female genitals being perceived as wounds — often manifesting in diseased flower imagery — in psychoanalytic literature. She cites the ailing flower in William Blake’s “The Sick Rose,” the “poisonous genital flowers” in Joris-Karl Huysmans’ À rebours, and a description by Tennessee Williams comparing a vagina to “a dyin’ orchid.”
This is a video that stands out because of both the song and the imagery it is married to. While the song is a great piece of music, the video undoubtedly had a hand in popularizing it the song even further. It’s an instance where the whole is indeed greater than the sum of the parts. The director, Anton Corbijin is no small part of that feat:
Corbijn tends to eschew traditional glamour photography, instead favoring a rawer look, often in black-and-white. His subjects appear to be calm and far removed from everyday life. His photographs show raw emotion. His influential style of black and white imagery with stark contrasts on grainy film (sometimes referred to as “overcooked”) has been imitated and copied in such extent that it has become a rock cliché and a vital part of the visual language in the 1990s
Jul 15, 2008
I can be a bit of a sexist...
...but, I’m not a creep.
At the very least I work really, really hard in life not to be the subject of that story that each woman seems to have. Women will know all too well what I’m talking about. Each women I’ve ever met has the story of that one guy, the guy who wouldn’t take the hint.
Men are really bad at hints ladies.
I’m not using that to excuse bad behavior because there isn’t an excuse for it but the whole mating dance is so complicated there is bound to be confusion. Confusion though doesn’t excuse being a creep.
Most of my old girlfriends who want nothing to do with me just ignore me. That works for me in a sense. I mean, I’d like to think you could remain friends with the people you swapped bodily fluids with but all too often that just isn’t the case. I may drop someone an email from time to time or a card for their birthday or something but I won’t show up on someone’s doorstep unannounced.
I never liked that kind of drama and as time has gone on I find I like drama of any kind less and less.
So, today I got around to reading one of the blogs in the sidebar. Sometimes, with some blogs I’ll just go and scan a little bit and not really read them thoroughly. RKB’s blog is like that but I saw something today that gave me pause.
Apparently she has some kind of ‘stalker,’
Maybe the guy’s not a stalker. Maybe he’s just one of those incredibly socially inept people who doesn’t know how to interact with others in any semblance of normalcy. Certainly he isn’t aware that calling the cell phone of someone you’ve had little to do with is a big invasion of someone’s privacy. My hope is that is all that it is.
RKB writes about sex... big whoop.
I’m not casting aspersions on her writing but, what I’m saying is that certain assumptions shouldn’t be made just because of the subject matter she writes about. Like... I don’t know, maybe like because a woman writes about sex that maybe she’ll just spread her legs for anyone.
I mean... honestly!
So, I’m reading the stuff she got from stalker dude and it kinda looks like he doesn’t see the difference.
One part of me is like, ‘OH GREAT! ANOTHER AS*$&LE GIVING MY GENDER A BAD NAME’
Seriously.
And then another part of me is thinking, ‘Time for someone to get a good a##-whoopin.’
Some of the people in the comments section of her blog were talking about guns, under the circumstances it sounded a bit like a nuclear option to swat a fly. Guns are a bit of a touchy subject, shot someone and you’re creating a mess. A good a##-whoopin however can be handled much more discretely and still manage to get it’s message across in a very direct and clear manner without all the mess.
How do I know?
Umm... I’ve done it.
It’s not something I’m proud of and I won’t go into the gory details but on more than one occasion if necessary I’ve taken the steps necessary to stop onerous behavior by other members of my gender. You’d be surprised at how easily it works.
Why?
Well, guys like that are usually bullies. They count on bullying people who they think they are bigger and stronger than. In those cases as much as I hate to say it, the easiest way to solve the situation is to respond in kind.
...but, I’m not a creep.
At the very least I work really, really hard in life not to be the subject of that story that each woman seems to have. Women will know all too well what I’m talking about. Each women I’ve ever met has the story of that one guy, the guy who wouldn’t take the hint.
Men are really bad at hints ladies.
I’m not using that to excuse bad behavior because there isn’t an excuse for it but the whole mating dance is so complicated there is bound to be confusion. Confusion though doesn’t excuse being a creep.
Most of my old girlfriends who want nothing to do with me just ignore me. That works for me in a sense. I mean, I’d like to think you could remain friends with the people you swapped bodily fluids with but all too often that just isn’t the case. I may drop someone an email from time to time or a card for their birthday or something but I won’t show up on someone’s doorstep unannounced.
I never liked that kind of drama and as time has gone on I find I like drama of any kind less and less.
So, today I got around to reading one of the blogs in the sidebar. Sometimes, with some blogs I’ll just go and scan a little bit and not really read them thoroughly. RKB’s blog is like that but I saw something today that gave me pause.
Apparently she has some kind of ‘stalker,’
Maybe the guy’s not a stalker. Maybe he’s just one of those incredibly socially inept people who doesn’t know how to interact with others in any semblance of normalcy. Certainly he isn’t aware that calling the cell phone of someone you’ve had little to do with is a big invasion of someone’s privacy. My hope is that is all that it is.
RKB writes about sex... big whoop.
I’m not casting aspersions on her writing but, what I’m saying is that certain assumptions shouldn’t be made just because of the subject matter she writes about. Like... I don’t know, maybe like because a woman writes about sex that maybe she’ll just spread her legs for anyone.
I mean... honestly!
So, I’m reading the stuff she got from stalker dude and it kinda looks like he doesn’t see the difference.
One part of me is like, ‘OH GREAT! ANOTHER AS*$&LE GIVING MY GENDER A BAD NAME’
Seriously.
And then another part of me is thinking, ‘Time for someone to get a good a##-whoopin.’
Some of the people in the comments section of her blog were talking about guns, under the circumstances it sounded a bit like a nuclear option to swat a fly. Guns are a bit of a touchy subject, shot someone and you’re creating a mess. A good a##-whoopin however can be handled much more discretely and still manage to get it’s message across in a very direct and clear manner without all the mess.
How do I know?
Umm... I’ve done it.
It’s not something I’m proud of and I won’t go into the gory details but on more than one occasion if necessary I’ve taken the steps necessary to stop onerous behavior by other members of my gender. You’d be surprised at how easily it works.
Why?
Well, guys like that are usually bullies. They count on bullying people who they think they are bigger and stronger than. In those cases as much as I hate to say it, the easiest way to solve the situation is to respond in kind.
Jul 11, 2008
FRIDAY PHOTO FUNNIES!
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
Again, foto funnies are posted as a historical analysis of the changing face of humor in our country of the last 25 or so years. They do not present the viewpoint or opinion of the blog owner. Often they are wildly politically incorrect and offensive - if you are offended by the material in a foto funny, you either need to develop a sense of humor or surf elsewhere.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
Again, foto funnies are posted as a historical analysis of the changing face of humor in our country of the last 25 or so years. They do not present the viewpoint or opinion of the blog owner. Often they are wildly politically incorrect and offensive - if you are offended by the material in a foto funny, you either need to develop a sense of humor or surf elsewhere.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Good reading.
I’m right at that point of just walking away from the computer for a while. I spend far too much time on the thing than is good for me and scads more time on the Internet. I could be writing emails, or writing comments on people’s Flickr photos, or just plain writing something for the blog but it really winds up being a time gobbler.
Today I managed to get up really, really early; I’m trying to get back to a regular schedule again after getting that job out this week. The good thing was I managed to get the Internet time in earlier in the day (although again way too much time) and still get out in the world and get a lot done. Spent an inordinate amount of time running errands locally which involved tooling around on the scooter. I am actually feeling more comfortable and taking it out for longer and longer spells.
A week or so back I was out riding around for six hours all over Westchester. I want to get up to Bear Mountain and down into Rockland with it. Next week I’m taking an 80-mile roundtrip up to Connecticut with it.
Anyway, the thing I started to say was that one thing about the Internet is there is a lot of other good writing out there to read. I know, some of it is up in the sidebar and I try to visit those sites regularly.
A place I check out and have come to enjoy is Jamelah’s site. I think I found her through Flickr although I am not entirely sure. I was going to write something about a post she had two weeks back that had me in absolute hysterics (and also conveyed mysterious and fascinating information that I was a man was astounded by).
This week though she once again made me bust up with laughter in a post about what I have termed as her HPFB (Hypothetical Potential Future Boyfriend):
I’m right at that point of just walking away from the computer for a while. I spend far too much time on the thing than is good for me and scads more time on the Internet. I could be writing emails, or writing comments on people’s Flickr photos, or just plain writing something for the blog but it really winds up being a time gobbler.
Today I managed to get up really, really early; I’m trying to get back to a regular schedule again after getting that job out this week. The good thing was I managed to get the Internet time in earlier in the day (although again way too much time) and still get out in the world and get a lot done. Spent an inordinate amount of time running errands locally which involved tooling around on the scooter. I am actually feeling more comfortable and taking it out for longer and longer spells.
A week or so back I was out riding around for six hours all over Westchester. I want to get up to Bear Mountain and down into Rockland with it. Next week I’m taking an 80-mile roundtrip up to Connecticut with it.
Anyway, the thing I started to say was that one thing about the Internet is there is a lot of other good writing out there to read. I know, some of it is up in the sidebar and I try to visit those sites regularly.
A place I check out and have come to enjoy is Jamelah’s site. I think I found her through Flickr although I am not entirely sure. I was going to write something about a post she had two weeks back that had me in absolute hysterics (and also conveyed mysterious and fascinating information that I was a man was astounded by).
This week though she once again made me bust up with laughter in a post about what I have termed as her HPFB (Hypothetical Potential Future Boyfriend):
Also if you could not pick your nose and then touch me, I think I might love you. Seriously, don’t do that. It is completely vile on at least 150,516 different levels.
Jul 10, 2008
VIDEO VAULT THURSDAY!
(because exclamation points make all the difference)
Funny thing, I started to compose the entry into VIDEO VAULT THURSDAY for this week using a video I found awhile back and have long wanted to spotlight. In the process of doing some of the background research, I came across another song by the same band that I decided to use instead.
The reason I changed my mind (and while I will still use the original song slotted for today at some future date), was because this week’s song is something special.
Sometimes, in music without a composer’s intent, a song can become more than just a song.
It can become an anthem.
Something magical happens in the combination of music and lyrics that stirs deep emotion in people. This week’s entry is like that.
I liken it to tunes like Alice Cooper’s School’s Out or Public Enemy’s Fight The Power. It may be of a very specific period but, when I came across it today I found it still had the same power as when I heard it over a decade ago.
Also, it is one of the more visually interesting videos of its time in large part because of its use of elderly folk. The casting was a creative choice that gave the song another slant:
I hate my generation
Now that I've said it I feel liberated
I hate my generation now
*BONUS *BONUS *BONUS *BONUS *BONUS *BONUS *BONUS *BONUS *BONUS *BONUS
How good is Cracker? Give a listen, their recent performance at Milwaukee’s Summerfest (July 5, 2008) can be found here!
(because exclamation points make all the difference)
Funny thing, I started to compose the entry into VIDEO VAULT THURSDAY for this week using a video I found awhile back and have long wanted to spotlight. In the process of doing some of the background research, I came across another song by the same band that I decided to use instead.
The reason I changed my mind (and while I will still use the original song slotted for today at some future date), was because this week’s song is something special.
Sometimes, in music without a composer’s intent, a song can become more than just a song.
It can become an anthem.
Something magical happens in the combination of music and lyrics that stirs deep emotion in people. This week’s entry is like that.
I liken it to tunes like Alice Cooper’s School’s Out or Public Enemy’s Fight The Power. It may be of a very specific period but, when I came across it today I found it still had the same power as when I heard it over a decade ago.
Also, it is one of the more visually interesting videos of its time in large part because of its use of elderly folk. The casting was a creative choice that gave the song another slant:
I hate my generation
Now that I've said it I feel liberated
I hate my generation now
Cracker is an American alternative rock band featuring Johnny Hickman and Camper Van Beethoven singer and guitarist David Lowery. They are best known for the hit songs “Low,” “Eurotrash Girl,” “Get Off This” and “Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now).” In 1993, Cracker contributed the song “Good Times Bad Times” to the Encomium tribute album to Led Zeppelin (which was recorded after their rendition of “When the Levee Breaks” was deemed “too weird”). Cracker mixes influences and sounds ranging from classic country music, psychedelia, punk and folk into their brand of “Americana” style rock.Cracker is still around. They’ve taken a similar tack as TMBG in that they promote and produce their music and sell it through an online outlet. They have both a MySpace page and a band site that are well worth checking out!
*BONUS *BONUS *BONUS *BONUS *BONUS *BONUS *BONUS *BONUS *BONUS *BONUS
How good is Cracker? Give a listen, their recent performance at Milwaukee’s Summerfest (July 5, 2008) can be found here!
Jul 7, 2008
I am spent.
Whatever does that mean?
Just that I find myself in one of those moments when I want to take a week or two to have a bit of a breather. The holiday weekend notwithstanding, the holiday really wasn’t such a big deal to me.
And truth be told, I kind of like it that way.
It wasn’t like the weekend came and I didn’t have stuff to do because I did. I got a chance to go hang out with my family again at the annual barbeque that one of the relatives host and was glad to go. Sure there were a ton of people there and a lot of them that I didn’t know but it still was fun and a welcome break.
See, my schedule has less to do with the days or hours on the calendar and the clock and I have to say on a level I am okay with that.
This weekend I finished this enormous project I have been working on for the last six weeks.
I realized that there are three phases to any project:
The anticipation and excitement that is there at the onset and throughout the first phase of a project.
The anxiety and boredom that comes from having to focus on something for so long after that initial fascination has receded.
The looking back at something and seeing all the things you would like to change or that you would tweak to something once you’ve finished it.
I know I’m not alone in these things, take one look at George Lucas and the ever changing franchise that is the Star Wars movies and you know other people feel it too.
At this point though, I’m just happy to get something off my plate and to move on to the next big thing.
I think the rest of the month is going to be focused more along the lines of getting my own materials together in the attempt to secure some kind of long-term gig.
It’s something that I’ve managed to put off for too long in the hopes that a gig would just materialize on its own but that just doesn’t seem to be happening. I’ve been fortunate enough to be (and to keep) busy, it’s just the long-term thing doesn’t avail itself without effort.
First up is rewriting the resume.
I wrote a version of my resume awhile back and sent it off to a friend at an employment agency only to get the feedback it was the worst resume she had ever seen! I know what the problem was, it was far too much of a narrative than the kind of dry business document these things need to be but, I was having trouble positioning myself to potential employers and also presenting my experience in the best possible light.
See, I know what will be necessary to do something like that but it’s a lot of work and all just to secure a long-term spot somewhere.
The funny thing about the feedback I got was the fact that a few short months later I got a request from the selfsame person who told me the resume was the worst she had ever seen to write a recommendation for her! (LOL) I wasn’t slighted by her feedback and wrote something that I thought was fitting. The funny thing was getting the email from her shortly afterward with her complimenting me by telling me she thought I am a very good writer.
What am I missing here?
Again, I find these things funnier than anything else.
Also, I am thinking I am just about ready for some traveling. I haven’t done any traveling in a good, long time and it may well be time to go and visit the many friends I have around the country. Take the grand tour if you will. Since the kitty queen is not around anymore and I still have yet to replace her, my one big excuse for not going away for a prolonged period is absent and I no longer have a valid excuse to refuse the many invitations I have to visit people.
I love the summer!
Whatever does that mean?
Just that I find myself in one of those moments when I want to take a week or two to have a bit of a breather. The holiday weekend notwithstanding, the holiday really wasn’t such a big deal to me.
And truth be told, I kind of like it that way.
It wasn’t like the weekend came and I didn’t have stuff to do because I did. I got a chance to go hang out with my family again at the annual barbeque that one of the relatives host and was glad to go. Sure there were a ton of people there and a lot of them that I didn’t know but it still was fun and a welcome break.
See, my schedule has less to do with the days or hours on the calendar and the clock and I have to say on a level I am okay with that.
This weekend I finished this enormous project I have been working on for the last six weeks.
I realized that there are three phases to any project:
The anticipation and excitement that is there at the onset and throughout the first phase of a project.
The anxiety and boredom that comes from having to focus on something for so long after that initial fascination has receded.
The looking back at something and seeing all the things you would like to change or that you would tweak to something once you’ve finished it.
I know I’m not alone in these things, take one look at George Lucas and the ever changing franchise that is the Star Wars movies and you know other people feel it too.
At this point though, I’m just happy to get something off my plate and to move on to the next big thing.
I think the rest of the month is going to be focused more along the lines of getting my own materials together in the attempt to secure some kind of long-term gig.
It’s something that I’ve managed to put off for too long in the hopes that a gig would just materialize on its own but that just doesn’t seem to be happening. I’ve been fortunate enough to be (and to keep) busy, it’s just the long-term thing doesn’t avail itself without effort.
First up is rewriting the resume.
I wrote a version of my resume awhile back and sent it off to a friend at an employment agency only to get the feedback it was the worst resume she had ever seen! I know what the problem was, it was far too much of a narrative than the kind of dry business document these things need to be but, I was having trouble positioning myself to potential employers and also presenting my experience in the best possible light.
See, I know what will be necessary to do something like that but it’s a lot of work and all just to secure a long-term spot somewhere.
The funny thing about the feedback I got was the fact that a few short months later I got a request from the selfsame person who told me the resume was the worst she had ever seen to write a recommendation for her! (LOL) I wasn’t slighted by her feedback and wrote something that I thought was fitting. The funny thing was getting the email from her shortly afterward with her complimenting me by telling me she thought I am a very good writer.
What am I missing here?
Again, I find these things funnier than anything else.
Also, I am thinking I am just about ready for some traveling. I haven’t done any traveling in a good, long time and it may well be time to go and visit the many friends I have around the country. Take the grand tour if you will. Since the kitty queen is not around anymore and I still have yet to replace her, my one big excuse for not going away for a prolonged period is absent and I no longer have a valid excuse to refuse the many invitations I have to visit people.
I love the summer!
Jul 4, 2008
FRIDAY PHOTO FUNNIES!
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
Again, foto funnies are posted as a historical analysis of the changing face of humor in our country of the last 25 or so years. They do not present the viewpoint or opinion of the blog owner. Often they are wildly politically incorrect and offensive - if you are offended by the material in a foto funny, you either need to develop a sense of humor or surf elsewhere.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
Again, foto funnies are posted as a historical analysis of the changing face of humor in our country of the last 25 or so years. They do not present the viewpoint or opinion of the blog owner. Often they are wildly politically incorrect and offensive - if you are offended by the material in a foto funny, you either need to develop a sense of humor or surf elsewhere.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Jul 3, 2008
VIDEO VAULT THURSDAY!
(because exclamation points make all the difference)
This week’s entry into VIDEO VAULT THURSDAY is a relatively recent tune (within the last two years) so, pulling it out of the vault means there is nary a speck of dust to be removed!
(because exclamation points make all the difference)
This week’s entry into VIDEO VAULT THURSDAY is a relatively recent tune (within the last two years) so, pulling it out of the vault means there is nary a speck of dust to be removed!
The song received widespread critical acclaim and enjoyed commercial success in Winehouse’s native England and abroad. The tune won the 2007 Ivor Novello award for Best Contemporary Song. “Rehab” won three Grammy Awards in 2008, including the “Record of the Year,” “Song of the Year” and “Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.”
Winehouse has received media attention apart from her singing. Her distinctive style, most notably her signature beehive hairstyle, has spawned imitators and been the muse for fashion designers, most notably Karl Lagerfeld. The singer’s problems with drug and alcohol addiction, as well as self-destructive behaviour, have become regular tabloid news since 2007. She and her husband have been plagued by legal troubles that have led to the cancellation of several tour dates.The big selling point to Amy Winehouse is that she manages to really capture a hint of the Motown sound in her music. It’s good stuff but, for all the press she is getting people seem to forget she’s still very much a kid (not even 25). I’m not as familiar with her music as I should be but, I am going to check it out because what I’ve heard I like quite a bit!
Jul 2, 2008
Maybe Noah Gallagher was right.
I’m not much up on these things but I was reading recently where there had been a bit of a tiff between Oasis frontman Noah Gallagher and Jay Z who was headlining the Glastonbury. Gallagher couldn’t see a rap artist as the lead act.
So, Jay-Z came out and did this:
Now, even though I like some of Jay-Z’s stuff, I always thought the kick of going to a concert was seeing a performer create their music live. Although I see there were a lot of comments about the ‘great performance,’ I found myself scratching my head a bit.
What performance?
They played Wonderwall almost in its entirety from (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? and Jay-Z threw in a bunch of shouted lines off key. It was more like bad karaoke before a big audience. Then he went on to do 99 Problems and that seemed too as if it was ‘canned.’ No one on stage seemed to be playing instruments (except the drummer) so, why even bother going to see Jay-Z live? He didn’t even do a complete rap of the song.
I’m not much up on these things but I was reading recently where there had been a bit of a tiff between Oasis frontman Noah Gallagher and Jay Z who was headlining the Glastonbury. Gallagher couldn’t see a rap artist as the lead act.
So, Jay-Z came out and did this:
Now, even though I like some of Jay-Z’s stuff, I always thought the kick of going to a concert was seeing a performer create their music live. Although I see there were a lot of comments about the ‘great performance,’ I found myself scratching my head a bit.
What performance?
They played Wonderwall almost in its entirety from (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? and Jay-Z threw in a bunch of shouted lines off key. It was more like bad karaoke before a big audience. Then he went on to do 99 Problems and that seemed too as if it was ‘canned.’ No one on stage seemed to be playing instruments (except the drummer) so, why even bother going to see Jay-Z live? He didn’t even do a complete rap of the song.
Jul 1, 2008
TELEVISION TUESDAY.
I like The Office. You know, the Americanized version of the British show that has turned into a big hit for NBC. Funny thing though is that TV programs get ‘ported’ to the audience they’re being broadcast to. If you think the American version of The Office is funny, just check out this version ‘ported’ for Malaysian TV:
I like The Office. You know, the Americanized version of the British show that has turned into a big hit for NBC. Funny thing though is that TV programs get ‘ported’ to the audience they’re being broadcast to. If you think the American version of The Office is funny, just check out this version ‘ported’ for Malaysian TV:
Jun 28, 2008
Thank God for YouTube!
If not for YouTube, I would not have seen BSG Revelations or Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead (two recent Doctor Who episodes).
Without going into a detailed, lengthy explanation the upshot is I am still watching a show(s) I wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. The thing I hadn’t counted on (at least in the case of Doctor Who) is that I’m two weeks ahead of the U.S. broadcast schedule for the program! I’m still not sure how that happened (maybe because they skipped a week on the network I would normally watch the show on) So, I not only am getting to watch a favorite but, I’m watching it ahead of when I would have been able to!
Oh, such delicious glee!
The big news last week though was the reappearance of this woman:
I can’t (and won’t) spoil it for my fellow fans but it’s a stellar episode that’s coming up! Doctor Who only becomes a bigger and bigger favorite as time goes on and the run to the end of this season (series) is proving to be just stupendous. Who knew a simple action like turning left could change the world! Doctor Who’s very own Butterfly Effect If you have even an inkling of what I’m talking about, you won’t be disappointed!
*Update – Well, the YouTube option has been shut down – or at least an attempt was made to shut it down. Thankfully, there are those who take pity on the poor souls beyond the reach of Series 4 broadcasts. All I can say at the moment though, is things just keep getting better and better! This episode had the feel of a theatrical motion picture! Absolutely unbelievable! Russell T. Davies just continues to outdo himself!
If not for YouTube, I would not have seen BSG Revelations or Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead (two recent Doctor Who episodes).
Without going into a detailed, lengthy explanation the upshot is I am still watching a show(s) I wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. The thing I hadn’t counted on (at least in the case of Doctor Who) is that I’m two weeks ahead of the U.S. broadcast schedule for the program! I’m still not sure how that happened (maybe because they skipped a week on the network I would normally watch the show on) So, I not only am getting to watch a favorite but, I’m watching it ahead of when I would have been able to!
Oh, such delicious glee!
The big news last week though was the reappearance of this woman:
I can’t (and won’t) spoil it for my fellow fans but it’s a stellar episode that’s coming up! Doctor Who only becomes a bigger and bigger favorite as time goes on and the run to the end of this season (series) is proving to be just stupendous. Who knew a simple action like turning left could change the world! Doctor Who’s very own Butterfly Effect If you have even an inkling of what I’m talking about, you won’t be disappointed!
*Update – Well, the YouTube option has been shut down – or at least an attempt was made to shut it down. Thankfully, there are those who take pity on the poor souls beyond the reach of Series 4 broadcasts. All I can say at the moment though, is things just keep getting better and better! This episode had the feel of a theatrical motion picture! Absolutely unbelievable! Russell T. Davies just continues to outdo himself!
Jun 27, 2008
FRIDAY PHOTO FUNNIES!
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
Again, foto funnies are posted as a historical analysis of the changing face of humor in our country of the last 25 or so years. They do not present the viewpoint or opinion of the blog owner. Often they are wildly politically incorrect and offensive - if you are offended by the material in a foto funny, you either need to develop a sense of humor or surf elsewhere.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
Again, foto funnies are posted as a historical analysis of the changing face of humor in our country of the last 25 or so years. They do not present the viewpoint or opinion of the blog owner. Often they are wildly politically incorrect and offensive - if you are offended by the material in a foto funny, you either need to develop a sense of humor or surf elsewhere.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Jun 26, 2008
VIDEO VAULT THURSDAY!
(because exclamation points make all the difference)
This week’s entry into VIDEO VAULT THURSDAY is, in my humble opinion, one of the best videos of all time!
Certainly the song itself is a great one - it’s got a driving beat and hit number one on the charts when it was first released.
I love Tom Petty. He has become a favorite of mine through the years, which I find somewhat ironic because I never thought much of him back in the late 70s and early 80s. There is just something about his body of work, so much great music! Awhile back I picked up a boxed set and I’ve never regretted because it is often blaring through my speakers.
This past December, Tom Petty was chosen as the artist to entertain at the Superbowl. He came out, did four songs and just wowed the crowd. As a bonus, here’s the same song performed live at the Superbowl:
(because exclamation points make all the difference)
This week’s entry into VIDEO VAULT THURSDAY is, in my humble opinion, one of the best videos of all time!
Certainly the song itself is a great one - it’s got a driving beat and hit number one on the charts when it was first released.
The main riff was propulsive, instantiating itself in a battle of acoustic guitar against snare drum with fuzz guitar laced underneath and with vocal “ooh-ooohs” keeping that sense in full mind throughout.The other thing that it has going for it is that it pays homage to Windsor McKay who happens to be another favorite of mine.
The music video for “Runnin’”, directed by Jim Lenahan, featured animation, based on several episodes of the classic comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland by Winsor McCay, featuring a drawing style reminiscent of McCay’s and showing Petty and a character who resembles Flip traveling through Slumberland.
I love Tom Petty. He has become a favorite of mine through the years, which I find somewhat ironic because I never thought much of him back in the late 70s and early 80s. There is just something about his body of work, so much great music! Awhile back I picked up a boxed set and I’ve never regretted because it is often blaring through my speakers.
This past December, Tom Petty was chosen as the artist to entertain at the Superbowl. He came out, did four songs and just wowed the crowd. As a bonus, here’s the same song performed live at the Superbowl:
Jun 25, 2008
COMING SOON! FRIDAY PHOTO FUNNIES!
Starting this week, I’ll be starting a new Friday feature guaranteed to offend some and to elicit peals of laughter from others. Venturing back to a time when porn and bare naked women were not as prevalent (thank you WorldWideWeb), some humor magazines would run the occasional topless shot to garner male readership. Think of it as a version of the ever-popular page 3 girl.
Anyway, without further ado! The first installment of the FRIDAY PHOTO FUNNY! (think of this as a preview)
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Starting this week, I’ll be starting a new Friday feature guaranteed to offend some and to elicit peals of laughter from others. Venturing back to a time when porn and bare naked women were not as prevalent (thank you WorldWideWeb), some humor magazines would run the occasional topless shot to garner male readership. Think of it as a version of the ever-popular page 3 girl.
Anyway, without further ado! The first installment of the FRIDAY PHOTO FUNNY! (think of this as a preview)
Reliving past glory of a misspent youth.
For more fun, check out The National Lampoon site, the originators of the Photo Funny.
Jun 24, 2008
Speaking of superheroes.
In the post directly following this one I described my friend who has set forth on a crusade over the Bodies exhibit. She is one of those women who has always seemed larger than life to me. It’s not her sole focus and she has another crusade that she’s been on concurrently while looking after her family (husband and three kids including a set of twins) and still managing a career. It’s a lot to handle and I am amazed that she manages to keep all those plates in the air.
I fell under her spell a long time ago. A former model, smart as a whip, I’ve traveled with her to places like Boston, Key West and Rome and find I always enjoy being in her orbit.
Well, another woman who has always seemed larger than life is a college pal’s wife. Tall, beautiful with boundless energy, she always held the men around her in thrall. That she wound up marrying my friend always seemed to be confirmation of his incredible luck.
Quite the mover and shaker, she worked in production for many years forming her own company, had a family and like everyone faced those struggles we all face over the course of a lifetime. Her stature belied the frailty of her own body though. Recently, I had the occasion to get back in touch. I needed a question answered and given the scope of her experience she was wonderfully gracious and spent quite some time answering my queries.
One of the things that came up though is the battle she currently faces. She has had a brain tumor for over a decade and just found out in the recent past that it had been misdiagnosed. Consequently, she is out of town at the moment getting a specialized radiation treatment. Her blog keeps track of her battle and again, she strikes me as just another of those heroic women I have been fortunate enough to come across during the course of my travels.
Right now I’m sending lots of good thoughts her way hoping they help her in her fight.
You can check out her blog here - myedgewalkerblog.com
In the post directly following this one I described my friend who has set forth on a crusade over the Bodies exhibit. She is one of those women who has always seemed larger than life to me. It’s not her sole focus and she has another crusade that she’s been on concurrently while looking after her family (husband and three kids including a set of twins) and still managing a career. It’s a lot to handle and I am amazed that she manages to keep all those plates in the air.
I fell under her spell a long time ago. A former model, smart as a whip, I’ve traveled with her to places like Boston, Key West and Rome and find I always enjoy being in her orbit.
Well, another woman who has always seemed larger than life is a college pal’s wife. Tall, beautiful with boundless energy, she always held the men around her in thrall. That she wound up marrying my friend always seemed to be confirmation of his incredible luck.
Quite the mover and shaker, she worked in production for many years forming her own company, had a family and like everyone faced those struggles we all face over the course of a lifetime. Her stature belied the frailty of her own body though. Recently, I had the occasion to get back in touch. I needed a question answered and given the scope of her experience she was wonderfully gracious and spent quite some time answering my queries.
One of the things that came up though is the battle she currently faces. She has had a brain tumor for over a decade and just found out in the recent past that it had been misdiagnosed. Consequently, she is out of town at the moment getting a specialized radiation treatment. Her blog keeps track of her battle and again, she strikes me as just another of those heroic women I have been fortunate enough to come across during the course of my travels.
Right now I’m sending lots of good thoughts her way hoping they help her in her fight.
You can check out her blog here - myedgewalkerblog.com
What’s in a name?
I had been meaning to mention this before now but, sometimes things wind up falling into the cracks. My friend who now has the alter-ego of Mom de Guerre has been crusading against these exhibits. At first, I have to admit to not quite understanding why she was so terribly upset. I had seen the bus ads for the exhibit here in New York and I believe I even read an article about it - it sounded a bit interesting. Certainly something to check out again if I got around to it. However, my friend was terrribly, terribly upset by it all.
As she laid things out to me, it was easy to see why.
I know the signs for the show are everywhere around town, I’m not going to give them free publicity though. I have to respect my friend’s efforts though. This time last year I was both commiserating and brainstorming with her about the avenues her crusade might take. Now, a year later after an appearance on ABC’s 20/20 she is seeing results!
I had been meaning to mention this before now but, sometimes things wind up falling into the cracks. My friend who now has the alter-ego of Mom de Guerre has been crusading against these exhibits. At first, I have to admit to not quite understanding why she was so terribly upset. I had seen the bus ads for the exhibit here in New York and I believe I even read an article about it - it sounded a bit interesting. Certainly something to check out again if I got around to it. However, my friend was terrribly, terribly upset by it all.
As she laid things out to me, it was easy to see why.
Real people. Used without consent.This is a complicated story but, it involves the son of a Nazi (who changed his name to escape his family’s infamy), a Chinese doctor with little scruples and the wholesale use of the bodies of prisoners without their consent after they were killed. It’s the kind of story that at first made me think of Soylent Green or Coma except this stuff is really happening and is being disguised as some kind of art when the truth behind it is a lot gorier.
Cynics call it “corpse art.” But Bodies:The Exhibition and Gunther Von Hagen’s Body Worlds call their shows “educational.” Everyone agrees it’s profitable. More than $2 billion.
I know the signs for the show are everywhere around town, I’m not going to give them free publicity though. I have to respect my friend’s efforts though. This time last year I was both commiserating and brainstorming with her about the avenues her crusade might take. Now, a year later after an appearance on ABC’s 20/20 she is seeing results!
New York State is cracking down on controversial museum exhibits. Last September, the Rochester Museum and Science Center hosted “Our Bodies” exhibit. It showed specially embalmed bodies and is used to educate the public on human anatomy. Rumors swirled that the bodies in other exhibits, not “Our Bodies” were illegally obtained in China, and that the humans these bodies once were never consented to be part of the exhibit. That’s why state senators passed a bill that would require anyone showing an exhibit that uses real human bodies in museums across New York to get a permit to show where exactly the bodies came from. Senator Jim Alesi (R-Perinton) says, “It’s human dignity and I think it’s also consumer protection because if people knew the origins, if they’re suspect, then they probably would be less likely to go to some kind of display like that.” Senator Alesi sponsored the “bodies exhibit” legislation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)